Vital Signs - Sunday, March 29, 2020
Faith is saying to God, “I believe You will.” In our battle to overcome the enemy, we might pray this way: “I believe You will defeat the enemy and cause him to flee from me as I resist him and put my trust in You.” Again and again, David made this declaration of faith to the Lord: “O my God, in You I trust” (Ps. 25:2; also 31:6). Perfect faith views the battle as being done and God gaining the victory. When David said, “In You I trust,” he meant: “It is done. Lord, You are perfect in nature. You do all things well. And You have victory over all my enemies.” He had absolute faith in God’s ability. There was no hint of “I hope He will” because David knew it was as good as done.
We grow in faith by exercising it, by trusting God in situation after situation, circumstance after circumstance, relationship after relationship. We develop a personal history in which we obey God and He remains faithful in His loving care of us.
It’s impossible for you to resist the devil for very long if you don’t believe that Jesus through you can and will defeat the devil. Furthermore, you can remain firm in your faith only when you completely submit to God in all areas of your life. When you refuse to submit a problem or area to the Lord, you’re saying, “I can handle this. I don’t need Your help.” That’s precisely what Satan wants you to do: trust in your ability and not in omnipotent God. It’s also the place where he will level his greatest attack against you!
The good news is that God has given each of us a measure of faith to develop. He also gives us the ability to trust Him and surrender our lives to Him. We can stand firm and resist the enemy, but only by the power of God. He’s the One who hears our prayers and rushes to our defense. When we pray, Satan flees.
“O my God, in You I [have unwavering] trust [and I rely on You with steadfast confidence], Do not let me be ashamed or my hope in You be disappointed; Do not let my enemies triumph over me.”
Psalms 25:2 AMP